Go through the gallery to view The Detroit News' best in the Big Ten at each position in football, compiled by Matt Charboneau, including Michigan State receiver Felton Davis III (pictured). Dale G. Young, Detroit News

OFFENSE
Quarterback: Trace McSorley, Penn State. The senior has lost some of his trusty weapons, but that hardly means he won’t be productive once again for the Nittany Lions. There are some good young quarterbacks pushing him in the Big Ten, but after throwing for 28 touchdowns last season and running for 11 more, it's hard to find a better signal-caller in the conference.
Honorable mention: Brian Lewerke, Michigan State; Shea Patterson, Michigan; Clayton Thorson, Northwestern Rick Scuteri, Associated Press

Running back : Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin. Another position with plenty of depth in the conference and that could lead to a debate over who is the best. But that should be a quick one as Taylor is coming off a freshman season when he ran for 1,977 yards — the most ever for an FBS freshman — while adding 13 touchdowns behind one of the best offensive lines in the nation.
Honorable mention: J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State; Karan Higdon, Michigan; Miles Sanders, Penn State; LJ Scott, Michigan State; Mike Weber, Ohio State Daniel Mears, Detroit News

Wide receiver: Felton Davis III, Michigan State. It's a tough call between the Michigan State senior and Nebraska's Stanley Morgan, whose numbers were slightly better in 2017. But Davis is a matchup nightmare in the red zone and will have the benefit of another year with an established quarterback, as Brian Lewerke looks to build off an outstanding sophomore season when he connected with Davis for nine touchdowns.
Honorable mention: Tarik Black, Michigan; Parris Campbell, Ohio State; Juwan Johnson, Penn State; Stanley Morgan, Nebraska; JD Spielman, Nebraska; Cody White, Michigan State Dale G. Young, Detroit News

Tight end: Noah Fant, Iowa. Not every team uses the tight end, and many of them aren't a big part of the passing game. But it's an easy pick when it comes to who is the Big Ten's best. Fant caught 11 touchdown passes as a sophomore and a repeat performance this fall could mean an early entry to the NFL.
Honorable mention: Brycen Hopkins, Purdue; Sean McKeon, Michigan John Peterson, Associated Press

Offensive tackle: Michael Deiter, Wisconsin. No surprise to see a Badger at the top of this list, and Dieter is deserving. He contemplated a jump to the NFL, but opted to return for his final season, something that made Badgers fans happy. Deiter earned second-team All-American honors last season and has started 41 career games at tackle, guard and center.
Honorable mention: Ryan Bates, Penn State; Tariq Cole, Rutgers; David Edwards, Wisconsin; Isaiah Prince, Ohio State Bradley Leeb, Associated Press

Center/guard: Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin. Another Badger who decided to stick around for his fifth season, Benzschawel (66) was a Big Ten first-teamer last season as he helped pave the way for Jonathan Taylor to run for nearly 2,000 yards. Expect him to do the same for a Wisconsin team that expects to be playing for another Big Ten title.
Honorable mention: David Beedle, Michigan State; Ben Bredeson, Michigan; Tommy Doles, Northwestern; Kevin Jarvis, Michigan State; Michael Jordan, Ohio State Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

DEFENSE
Defensive end: Nick Bosa, Ohio State. Entering his junior season, Bosa quickly is becoming more than just Joey Bosa's little brother. He had 34 tackles last season for the Buckeyes with 16 for loss, including 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Offenses will no doubt know where Bosa is at all times this season, but with the talent the Buckeyes have, Bosa still should have room to cause trouble.
Honorable mention: Joe Gaziano, Northwestern; Kenny Willekes, Michigan State; Chase Winovich, Michigan; Anthony Nelson, Iowa; Shareef Miller, Penn State John T. Greilick, Detroit News

Defensive lineman: Rashan Gary, Michigan. Along with Bosa, a real difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball. At 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, Gary is athletic enough to create problems for most offensive lines. He had 66 tackles in 2017, including 12 tackles for loss with six sacks and seven quarterback hurries, numbers that should all go up this fall.
Honorable mention: Dre’mont Jones, Ohio State; Olive Sagapolu, Wisconsin; Mick Stoltenberg, Nebraska; Raequan Williams, Michigan State David Guralnick, Detroit News

Linebacker: T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin. The NFL had to wait as the former two-star recruit decided to come back for his final season with the Badgers. A tackling machine, Edwards led Wisconsin in tackles his first two seasons and was second last year. Not as physically imposing as some others, Edwards makes up for that in production.
Honorable mention: Joe Bachie, Michigan State; Thomas Barber, Minnesota; Devin Bush, Michigan; Paddy Fisher, Northwestern; Khaleke Hudson, Michigan Stacy Revere, Getty Images

Safety: D’Cota Dixon, Wisconsin. A steady player who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors last season as a junior. Dixon had just one interception but had 55 tackles for a defense that ranked second in the nation in total defense. He has five interceptions in 42 career games and his leadership will be relied upon heavily this season for the Badgers.
Honorable mention: Antoine Brooks, Maryland; Jonathan Crawford, Indiana; David Dowell, Michigan State; Jordan Fuller, Ohio State; Amani Hooker, Iowa Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Cornerback: Amani Oruwariye, Penn State. He had four interceptions and eight passes defended as a junior in 2017, including five passes defended in a loss at Michigan State. Oruwariye ranked in the top five in the Big Ten in interceptions per game and passes defended per game last season.
Honorable mention: Montre Hartage, Northwestern; Lavert Hill, Michigan; Justin Layne, Michigan State; David Long, Michigan; Josiah Scott, Michigan State Christian Petersen, Getty Images

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker: Rafael Gaglianone, Wisconsin. Entering his final season, Gaglianone has converted 60 of 75 field goal attempts, ranking No. 2 in school history for field goals made and field-goal percentage (.800). He holds highest extra-point percentage in school history (.988, 168-for-170) and ranks second all-time in extra points while kicking a school-record four game-winning field goals.
Honorable mention: Matt Coghlin, Michigan State; Quinn Nordin, Michigan; Sean Nuernberger, Ohio State Dylan Buell, Getty Images

Punter: Blake Gillikin, Penn State. Gillikin is tied for No. 2 in career punting average at 43 yards per punt and has 25 career punts downed inside the opponent's 10-yard line, 18 of those coming last season. His 43.2-yard per punt average in 2017 ranks fourth in program history. His 42.8-yard average in 2016 broke a Penn State freshman season punting average record.
Honorable mention: Drue Chrisman, Ohio State; Jake Hartbarger, Michigan State Michael Hickey, Getty Images